This invention is directed generally to an upholstery pad for facing interior surfaces of a vehicle. In one aspect, this invention relates to an upholstery pad with features which allow a reduced number of fasteners for fastening the upholstery pad to a surface.
Interior walls of vehicles are typically faced with upholstery pads. These pads improve the aesthetic characteristics of the interior space of the vehicle as well as reduce the transmission of noise into the interior space of the vehicle. An upholstery pad is generally attached to an interior wall substructure of a vehicle by using mechanical push-type fasteners (e.g., xe2x80x9cChristmas treexe2x80x9d fasteners). In order to fasten an upholstery pad in this way, some type of wall structure must be provided behind attachment areas of the upholstery pad into which fasteners can be installed. Typically, a U-channel or other structure must be provided in all attachment areas for this purpose, which increases the complexity and cost of the vehicle assembly. Further, the interior of a vehicle can be made more attractive by decreasing the number of exposed fasteners which attach upholstery pads to the vehicle cab substructure.
A need exists, therefore, for an improved upholstery pad for facing the interior walls of a vehicle that requires a reduced number of mechanical fasteners for installation and thus can decrease the requirement for substructure behind particular areas of the upholstery pad. A need also exists for an improved upholstery pad which requires a reduced number of mechanical fasteners for installation, thus improving the appearance of the vehicle interior.
The present invention is a new and advantageous upholstery pad for facing interior surfaces of a vehicle.
One object of the present invention is an upholstery pad for facing interior surfaces of a vehicle which requires a reduced number of mechanical fasteners for installation.
Another object of the present invention is an upholstery pad for facing interior surfaces of a vehicle which requires no mechanical fasteners for installation.
Yet another object of the present invention is a method for constructing an upholstery pad for facing interior surfaces of a vehicle which requires a reduced number of mechanical fasteners for installation.
These and other objects are attained by an upholstery pad comprising a panel having a front surface, a back surface, and a plurality of edges extending from the front surface to the back surface. The panel further has a fixed portion and a first flap, the first flap being divided from the fixed portion along a first hinging axis, the first flap being continuously pivotable about the first hinging axis between a first relaxed position and a first biased position. The upholstery pad further comprises a padding member having a front surface and a back surface, at least a portion of the back surface of the padding member being adhesively attached to the front surface of the panel, wherein the padding member extends across the first hinging axis. The upholstery pad also comprises a sheet having a front surface and a back surface, at least a portion of the back surface of the sheet being adhesively attached to the front surface of the padding member. Pivoting the first flap about the first hinging axis away from the first relaxed position and toward the first biased position causes a first force to be produced which urges the first flap to be pivoted about the first hinging axis toward the first relaxed position.
When the upholstery pad is installed, the vehicle cab substructure is used to pivot the portion of the upholstery pad having the flap toward the biased position. Mechanical fasteners, if used, are inserted into attachment holes generated in the portion of the upholstery pad having the fixed portion of the panel and are engaged with the substructure. The mechanical fasteners hold the fixed portion, and thus that portion of the upholstery pad, in place. The force applied to the substructure by the flap, in combination with friction between the sheet and the substructure, holds the end of the upholstery pad having the flap in place without the use of other fastening means.
An upholstery pad of the present invention may have a plurality of flaps and may or may not use mechanical fasteners to fasten the portion of the upholstery pad having the fixed portion of the panel to the substructure.